Doctor's Notice
by MJ41319
Summary: She can no longer handle the immensely boring routines of Storybrooke's residents. She has stood and watched, knowing that she was stuck in this eternal loop. But is there a possibility to escape? Will crossing the town's border help create a new life for her? Or will her past mistakes manage to find her and force her to return... Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT or MM!
1. Prologue

A flash of purple appeared and disappeared in the sky under a few seconds. The residents in Storybrooke barely noticed in the wee hours of the morning.

Regina had gotten bored in Storybrooke and did the unthinkable. After thirteen years of the same boring days she crossed the border, but to her surprise her memories didn't fade. They were subdued and in addition to her fading old life, new memories arose in her mind. The curse had built her a new life in the world.

Her black Mercedes had magically transformed into a jeep and her business suit changed into tight fitting jeans and a white tank top. Confused Regina began to have mind flashes on a life in Miami. Going to school and living with a man that was her supposed father. Her cuban heritage and medical school.

She racked her brains for answers as her new car was parked on the side of the road only metres from the town line. Her mind flashed to a memory that seemed to be only days ago, but she knew that she had been in Storybrooke that day.

 _"_ _Where are you going? You just got here!" Chris asked. He had only met Eva two weeks ago when they were both assigned to join the trauma team one at Miami medical. They had been fast friends, constantly teasing each other daily._

 _"_ _I have to go to Maine. I'll be back in a few days." She had answered as she took her jacket from her locker. He simply stood next to her and shut her locker for her._

 _"_ _Where in Maine?" he asked poking her in the shoulder._

 _"_ _Storybrooke." she said bluntly as she pushed him out of her way._

 _"_ _Storybrooke, that's actually a place… Whose in Maine?" he asked smirking._

 _"_ _Nobody. Just a few old friends." Eva said before strutting away with Chris staring at her from his spot. Regina peaked back into the locker room from the doorway._

 _"_ _You still need that ride home?" She asked her chocolate brown eyes glowing._

 _"_ _Of course." he said smiling as he followed her out and walked side by side._

Regina looked in the back of her car and saw the two pieces of luggage that had formed. She noticed a small tag and read it out loud.

"Property of Eva Zambrano. Huh. I guess that's my name now." She said smiling to herself.

She looked through the contents of a brown leather purse and saw all of her credentials. Driver's license, health card, passport, credit cards, hospital ID, etc. It was all there, her new life was a reality.

"Well, isn't this curse very efficient." she joked to herself.

She decided to walk out of the car and further inspect her luggage in the back. Each bag opened gave her flashes of memories of people in her life. By the time 20 minutes passed she knew her entire life story. Memories from her childhood, teenage boyfriends, and her new colleagues.

Regina looked up at the sunny sky and decided to start driving. She placed the coordinates of her house into the GPS and saw the 25 hour drive. She looked through her purse and noticed a printed piece of paper with hotel confirmations on it. She assumed that this Eva person was extremely organized and planned ahead.

She set out on her road trip back to her new city. She drove for hours and took in the sights around her. This was her first time seeing anything outside of Storybrooke. As the sky darkened Regina checked into a the hotel she had apparently booked only days earlier.

It was a fairly nice hotel with a queen sized bed. She had taken her luggage upstairs with her and changed into flannel pyjamas and a grey t-shirt. She was currently lying on the bed staring at her phone contacts.

Chris Deleo

Daddy

Rayner

Tuck Brody

Nurse Graceffa

Paramedic Kleebus

Stacy *Do not answer

Jessica Lopez

Melissa C

Melissa W

…

She sat trying to remember each name and face. A knock was heard on her door and she opened it. It was a man about her age who had brought extra pillows as she requested. She gave him a polite smile and thanked him.

Regina situated herself on the bed as her eyes began to droop.

The next morning she awoke at the crack of dawn. She yawned as she checked her phone for the time. It said 5:32 and Regina groaned and turned in bed.

An hour later she got out of bed and dressed in a similar outfit from the other day. She put on the skinny jeans and wore a tight black and grey striped tank top.

Regina took her bags and put them in the back of her car before she checked out of the hotel.

She got into the driver's seat and began to drive hoping to stop somewhere to eat breakfast. She saw a diner that reminded her of Granny's. Regina pulled into the parking lot and got out to enter through the glass doors.

The smell of pancakes welcomed her as she walked in and sat at a booth closest to the doors. A blond waitress came by and cheerfully asked for her order. Regina settled on a stack of pancakes with syrup on the side and a cup of coffee.

Regina waited patiently as she looked out the window. The sun shown brightly as girls passed in crop tops and boys in board shorts.

The beach was just across the street and Regina watched the waves sway and the sand sparkle.

The waitress name Sally placed her meal in front of her and poured her a cup of coffee. Regina said her thanks and dug into the pancakes hungrily. She had driven all day before and only had a bagel for lunch. She finished her meal quickly and began to sip at her coffee, staring outside.

Sally took her plates and asked her if she needed anything else. Regina politely declined and she left her to her own.

Regina's phone buzzed on the table and she read the text that she had received.

 **Are you almost home? -Chris**

She looked at the name and recognized the man in her first flashback. They were close for only knowing each other for a few weeks.

 **A few hours away. Why?**

She replied quickly. She placed her phone back on the table and took another sip of her coffee, holding the cup with two hands to absorb it's warmth. Her phone buzzed once more.

 **No reason… ;) -Chris**

Regina asked for the cheque and typed quickly on her phone.

 **You better not be up to something.**

Sally the waitress placed the bill on the table and Regina reached into her purse to grab a twenty. She left it on the table and told the waitress to keep the change. She took one last sip of her coffee as she stood up and received another text.

 **I wouldn't dream of it. -Chris**

Regina caught herself smiling as she started her car. She was on her way home.


	2. Chapter 1

The light shown through the curtains and hit her eyes. She groaned lightly and turned to face away from the light.

Eva's eyes opened and looked at the clock. The red symbols saying 6:45. She groaned once more as she sat up and pushed her hair out of her face. She still wasn't used to the Miami sun.

She got up from her bed and took a brisk shower. Letting her hair dry in loose curls, she put on a salmon pink floral dress for the day. After making sure she had her keys and hospital I.D she walked out of her house, the clacking of her white heels on the stone driveway. She got in her jeep and drove down the coastal highway enjoying the early risers surfing on the beach.

Eva felt the breeze flow through her hair and smiled. She entered the hospital parking lot and drove into her designated spot.

She stepped out of her car and slung her purse over her shoulder.

"Hey Eva!" Chris called out after her. He rushed to walk next to her pulling his bike beside him.

"Hey caballero. How was the morning commute?" she asked looking over his bike.

"I was clocking like 23 miles an hour coming over that causeway." he said with a ragged breath.

"Oh?" Eva said.

"And some nimrod in a Hyundai forgets to check his his blind spot." Chris wiped sweat from his forehead and looked at his beeping pager as Eva chuckles. "We got incoming, right?"

"Yes. A gas explosion in Biscayne Bay." She responded.

They both hurried to enter the building, Chris only stopping to lock up his bike.

They entered the locker room and Eva grabbed her scrubs before heading into the women's bathroom.

"Who do we have today?" Chris asked through the doors.

"Well, it seems as though there was a gas explosion at a local ice cream shop." She said putting on her pants and walking out. Eva looked up sheepishly as Chris had yet to put on his shirt.

"Aw man. Please don't say it was Daniel's Ice Creamery. They have the best mint chocolate chip." He said with so much worry. She just laughed lightly as she continued to talk.

"I don't know about that, but I do know that most of the injuries were superficial and they were sent to the ER." She said putting her clothes away and wrapping her stethoscope around her neck."

"We got at least four incomings." Tuck said with Serena trailing behind closely.

"First up, auto versus pedestrian, it's about six minutes out. We've also got a third- trimester pregnancy with multiple lacerations. EMTs are trying to stabilize her on the scene before they put her on a bird." He said putting his clipboard down to grab a cup of coffee.

"Is Rayner here yet?" Serena asked. Tuck just shook his head as she stood confused. "Whatever happened to 'on time is two hours early'?" she said mockingly.

"Third shift in a row." Tuck just said shaking his head once more, just as worried as everyone else. Eva chimed into the conversation.

"Wait?" she said. Rayner was the man who had helped her through a lot. "No one's seen Raynor?"

Just then a man walked into the locker room as everybody visibly felt relieved.

"I have and he looked like crap." Rayner said joking about himself. They all laughed, but Eva was still slightly concerned.

"Alpha team only, please." Rayner said as the rest of the doctors left the room to allow them to talk. "Chris, Eva, when things quiet down, I need five minutes of your time."

They both just shook their heads in agreement wondering what they would be needed in.

"Our gunshot wound to the neck from this weekend will be discharged this afternoon, thanks to Dr. C's elegant jugular vein repair." Rayner said with everyone clapped on. Eva lightly patting his back and teasing him. He gave a small bow.

"Nice job, Dr. C." Serena said from across the room.

"Way to go!" Tuck said also joining in.

"And we should offer our congratulations to Dr. Warren on having achieved her three-months mark in the discipline of team trauma." The team hotted and began to praise the young doctor as all of their pagers went off. Serena just blushed lightly.

"Well done. All right, let's get to work." Rayner said one last time before leading his team out quickly.

It had been a stressful day. Rayner had left them and this new guy was his replacement. Matthew Proctor was a great doctor, but she didn't know know him like she knew Proctor. He had helped make her a better doctor.

Eva had agreed to meet everyone at the local bar only a block from the hospital. She had decided to clean out her locker. She had finished changing after everyone had already gone and left her bags in her car before deciding to walk to the bar.

Eva walked up as Proctor finished telling a story.

"I'll tell you, after two weeks in Kuwait, we were so desperate we were making martinis in empty IV bags." Everyone laughed as she walked up and made eye contact with Chris smiling at her.

"Well, if you think Kuwait made you desperate, try working with Chris for three years." She smiled brightly, her eyes shining.

"Oh! Look what the cat dragged in." He said teasing her.

"Oh, bite me, cowboy." Eva sat down and lightly smacked his arm.

They shared a moment of silence as everyone made excuses to leave.

"I'll pick up the next round."

"I'll help you carry it."

"I said I would pay."

They all left the table leaving Eva utterly confused as she looked to Chris for insight.

"Is it my imagination, or did everyone just scatter?" Eva asked.

"I don't know. Maybe they think we're sleeping together." Chris said with a cocky smirk.

"Oh, they do, do they?" She said still smiling with a mischievous look.

"Umm…" Chris gulped suddenly thirsty. He grabbed his drink and finished the last bits of liquid. Eva laughed out loudly.

"Did you check your cell phone?" Eva asked playing with her fingers. A bad habit that she had adopted years ago. Chris shook his head.

"We got calls from Admin." she said continuing.

"They're giving you Rayner's position, aren't they?…" He said trying to get a hint from her face.

"They're giving me Rayner's position…" when she didn't reply back he knew the answer.

"Ha! Proctor." He said to Eva.

"They wanted us both to know." She said.

"You could be Chief, you know that, right? You proved that today." She smiled as Chris tried to comfort her. He knew that she was a natural born leader. He had hoped that she would have been declared Chief because he knew how much it would have made her happy.

"You proved that a thousand times before." Chris said. Eva bit her lip smiling.

"Well, if I were Chief, you'd be the first doctor I'd want on my team." She said as the rest of the team returned with more drinks. Eva said her thanks as Proctor handed her a drink.

The night continued late and one by one each of her team mates left.

"I should probably go." she said getting up.

"I'll call you a cab. I can pick up the jeep tomorrow if you would like?" he asked taking out his phone. Eva sat up.

"Thank you. I'm just going to go to the bathroom." she smiled at him. She passed him her keys and pushed her hair behind her ears.

Chris stared as Eva walked away with her hips swaying. He was brought back to reality as the man for the taxi company spoke to him on the phone.

Eva entered the bathroom and quickly washed up. Her phone ran from her purse and she grabbed a paper towel before reaching into her bag.

"Zambrano." She said answering the phone.

"Not sure it is, dearie." the familiar voice replied. Eva felt her heart drop into her stomach.

"Who is this?" she said knowing full well who that voice had belonged to.

"Why, aren't we quite forgetful. It is unbelievable that you would forget your old tutor, but I guess you don't really need to use magic in your new life." Eva's olive skin visibly paled.

"How did you get this number?" she said with so much hatred in her voice that it scared her. She hadn't any need for that kind of tone in years.

"That doesn't matter. You can no longer play pretend. You enacted this curse and it will soon fall apart without you here." Mr. Gold said into the phone's receiver.

"What are you talking about?" Eva said.

"People are remembering. More residents in Storybrooke are hiring Dr. Hopper to analyze their strange dreams. Everyone is going crazy." he said with concern in his voice.

"Well what does that have to do with me?" Eva said as a knock was heard from the door.

"Eva? Your taxi is waiting outside." Chris said from the other side of the door.

"I'll be out in a minute." She said holding the phone to her chest.

"I need you to hold on for a second." She whispered into her phone before leaving the bathroom and facing Chris.

"Hi. Who were you talking to?" he asked motioning to the phone in her hand. She stayed silent, not really knowing how to respond.

"Are you okay? You look pale." he asked concerned. Eva felt sick, but she knew she had to keep talking to Rumple.

"I-I'm okay." she stuttered. "I just got a call from someone I used to know. I just it caught me off guard. I'm fine, I promise."

Chris led her to the taxi and opened the door for her. He gave her a hug before letting her leave and watched as the taxi drove off.

Eva rubbed her temple as she began to get a headache.

"Regina? Regina?" she heard from the phone as she remembered who she was talking to.

"My name is Eva." she said into the phone.

"Well, Eva. You have less than a year to find a way to mysteriously disappear from your new life because if you don't get back Storybrooke is not the only thing that will be destroyed." He said. Eva eyes went wide.

"Wait what are you talking about?" she asked as the taxi stopped at her house. She payed the driver and exited the car.

"You weren't meant for this world. It has caused a disturbance in the universe. The curse may have created you a new life, but it won't last. Find a way to come back, Regina. And make sure no one knows where you go. If i think if a plan I will let you know." he said before finally hanging up.

"Ugh!" Eva yelled as she dropped her purse on the ground and sat at the dining room table.

"I have about one year. One year to figure out how to leave my life." Eva felt hot tears escape from her eyes. She rested her head in her hands.

Eva sat in the dark for hours just thinking until she finally fell asleep from exhaustion.

She awoke with only 4 hours of sleep at 6:30. Her eyes were bloodshot and her head screamed at her. She groaned as her joints creaked from the uncomfortable position.


	3. Chapter 2

Eva walked up the stairs and entered her bedroom and shed her clothes from the previous night. She took a quick shower and looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were still red and she reached into a drawer and grabbed eye drops.

She got dressed as she heard a beep from her driveway. She looked out the window as Chris parked her jeep and waved hi from the driver's seat.

She smiled as she quickly walked downstairs and put on pair of black booties.

she hasn't worn them much is Miami, but loved to wear them on the cool days of Storybrooke.

"I was just gonna take a taxi to work. You didn't have to pick my car up this early." She said as she walked out of her front door.

"I said I was going to pick it up, so I did. I was up early anyways." he said about to get out of the driver's seat.

"No, you drive. I have a headache." she said getting into the passenger's seat.

"Okay. Yeah, sure." he said sitting back down and putting on his seatbelt. She smiled at him and just enjoyed the view as they drove to work.

"Are you okay?" Chris asked as he parked her car.

"Huh? Yeah. Just a bit tired." She said getting out of the car.

"I'm just going to go for a walk before work." Eva said as she walked in the opposite direction.

"Okay. I'll just be in the locker room." he said confused and slightly worried.

"Hey Chris. How many incoming?" Eva greeted Chris as she walked into the locker room and focused on getting a drink of water. He noticed how she had changed into her scrubs.

"Five GSWs and two red-bands, milady." he said making her smirk to herself as she turned back towards him.

"Milady?" she asked amused, but then remembering her old life.

"I was trying to get a little fresh verbiage from across the pond. You know with the new dynamic on alpha team." he said getting up from his seat and talking about Proctor.

"Well in that case, i prefer your most royal, not quite highness, Zambrano." she teased back as she left the room to quickly grab something. Chris just laughed as Serena walked in and began talking to him.

"Hey Eva." Tuck said getting her attention before she walked back in to the room.

"Yeah." She said tuning to face him.

"This came for you. It looks important." He said handing her a white envelope with a wax seal on it.

"Thanks Tuck." she said as he walked away towards the nurse's station.

Eva looked at the envelope and walked back into the lacker room and caught part of a conversation.

"Did you get a look at that scar?" Serena asked Chris.

"What scar?" Eva asked after she put the letter into her locker. She made eye contact with Chris and she smiled at him, but she could tell he was curious.

"He must have had his chest cracked." Chris said as Serena agreed.

There pagers beeped as Proctor entered the room.

"All right, incoming's two minutes out." he said as he led the team out.

They worked together as a patient was rushed in with gunshot wounds. Chris read out the chart he was given by the paramedics for the woman on the gurney.

"My son, Dylan. He's at home with the sitter." the patient said.

"Don't worry. We'll get the babysitter's information and make sure Dylan's taken care of, but right now, we got a sliver of time that'll make a big difference in your recovery, so you need to lay back and we'll make you better." Chris said reassuring the woman.

"Kate Prentice, this is Dr. Eva Zambrano. Now, Dr. Zambrano's going to tell you that she outranks me, but, trust me, I'm a better doctor." he said teasingly. Eva smiled at him knowing that he was just trying to get the patient to not think about her injuries.

"Ready? Let's get her on the table. One, two, three." They lifted her onto the table and began working fast.

"Kate, do you have any medical conditions we should know about?" Eva asked as she checked her blood pressure.

They continued to work fast as they flipped her over and found the bullets entrance. They struggled as they lost her pulse, but thanks to fast acting they managed to recover it and get her stable.

"A 23 year old man should not be going into V-fib from a bullet that's nowhere near her heart, right?" Chris had asked everyone in the room.

At the end of the day, Eva went to her locker. She quickly changed and grabbed her purse from the shelf as the envelope fell out.

Chris reached down to pick it up and looked at it curiously.

"What's this? Looks pretty fancy." he said handing it back to her.

"I'm not sure. Do you need a ride home?" she asked changing the subject and hiding the letter in the bottom of her purse.

"It's fine. Tuck offered me a ride." he said.

"Oh great. That's fine." she said giving a noncommittal smile.

"Me tengo que ir. I have to go." she said quickly, walking away.

Chris stood there for a moment concerned as Tuck entered the room. He zoned out and began thinking.

"You ready to go Dr. C." he said as Chris came back to reality.

"Yeah sure. Thanks for the ride." Chris replied grabbing his bag and following Tuck outside.

In the parking lot Chris noticed Eva's car still in the parking lot. He looked closer and saw Eva reading the letter. She looked devastated, but he didn't know what to do to help. He got into Tuck's car and drove off as he continued to watch her until she was out of view.

Eva read the letter over and over again until she realized that she has been sitting in her car for a long time. She put her keys in and began to drive home.

The letter had been sent from Rumple. He must have used magic to send it to her that fast, but whatever he did, she had got it the next morning.

He had given her a perfect escape. Rumple had managed to reach into the past and recover his ability to foresee the future. He was quick at work and easily figured a perfect time for Eva to fake her death and return to her rightful life as Regina.

Eva parked her car into the driveway and got out. She unlocked her door and made a beeline to her bedroom closet. Inside was the one magical item that had managed to remain the same across the border.

A simple ring that wasn't worth much, but contained a magical property.

The letter explained that she had four months until the perfect accident. Eva would need to wear the ring to keep herself safe, but only appear dead. Then her body could mysteriously disappear with the help of Rumple. Everyone would still remember who she was, but she would no longer be part of the real world. As far as they were concerned she had perished.

Eva held the ring towards her chest. She had been part of this world for 3 years. She had started a new life where she wasn't expected to be anything. No one forced her or manipulated her or made her feel like she wasn't worth anything. She was doing good and saving lives.

The next few day were odd. Eva would still tease Chris and Serena would join in with Tuck and Proctor, but it was out of obligation. She tried too hard to keep things normal, but everyone could tell something was wrong, especially Chris.

He tried to talk to her, but she would change the subject easily. She always had a way of controlling him.

It started getting difficult for people to try to ignore her change in attitude. She stopped hanging out at the bar and her sweet voice loss some of its effectiveness, but the patients didn't notice.

After about two weeks Eva accepted her fate and returned to normal. She tried hard to repress her inner Regina and thoughts about returning. It had worked and soon it was as though nothing had ever happened.

Everyone was relieved that whatever she was internally going through was over. No one faced her about it, but she knew they were all curious.

Eva had packed her things all into boxes knowing that soon none of it would be any use to her. She was content in carrying the ring around so she wouldn't forget it when the day would come.

Four months had almost come and gone. No one knew about what would soon happen and Eva had forced it out of her mind.

After a particularly hard day at work Eva really needed a drink. She sat at the bar as Serena sat on a stool next to her.

"I'll have what she's having." Serena told the bartender after her day with her past flame.

"Hey, nice get on those beta-blockers. I guess your personal life isn't distracting you from work after all." Eva said. Serena smiled at her colleague.

"You know, for the record there was a guy in med school who I was quite stupid over." Serena listen intently as Eva continued, "He proposed. I wavered. Now, he's just the one that got away." Eva mind flashed back. Her's and Regina's memories mixing together. Flashes of Daniel in scrubs. Tears as Eva walked away. She took a long sip from her martini, the ring feeling heavy in her jeans pocket.

"Good ones are hard to find." Serena said.

"True that." Eva said agreeing to Serena. "So, any news from Hunky Reunion Guy?"

"Calling him a pig would be an insult to pigs, who are clean and loyal. And text you back right away." Serena said staring at her phone, "What's another word for jerkface?" she added. Eva laughed as Chris walked up and sat next to her.

"Are you sure you should be drinking like that? You haven't slept in a couple days." he asked.

"I'm Cuban. Enough said." was her response as she took another drink.

"Scotch. The good stuff." he asked the bartender.

"So there was a guy in med school, huh?" Chris said making Eva turn to him in disbelief. She smirked at him.

"The onion peels slowly." she teased.

"I'll wait." he said making Eva's heart flutter.

"It'll just make you cry." She said trying to tease him, but the phrase having a double meaning.

Serena got up to leave after realizing that 'jerkface' hadn't text her back because she had his phone. She walked away with stress written all over face and Chris began to get up as well.

"Where are you going?" Eva asked.

"Come on, you don't want to feed the gossip troll, do you?" he said motioning to a nurse known to spread ridiculous rumours. She had already started a pool on when they were going to get together.

"I don't know." she said mischievously, "Some people say underneath gossip there's a kernel of truth."

"I will definitely drink to that." he said sitting back down. Eva and Chris tapped their glasses and both took a sip, both snickering to each other.

The next morning Eva woke up in a tangle of sheets. Her vision was blurred as a man walked in. She sat up and tried to focus her eye sight on him.

"Coffee?" Chris asked sheepishly as Eva let herself fall back into a mess of pillows.

"So no?" he asked taking a travel cup out of the holder and putting the rest down. Eva's hand shot up in the air as her head moved up from her position. He handed her a cup as she sat back up and used the duvet to cover herself.

"Thanks… What happened?" she asked taking a sip and pushing her hair out of her face. Chris looked at her face in the sun's morning glow.

"I can honestly say that I don't know. I think we had a competition on who could drink the most and…" he trailed off as his eyebrows furrowed trying to think about last night's activities.

"Competition. Sounds like me." she said laughing into her cup. Eva looked at the clock on the wall. It was only 5:06.

"Wait, what day is it?" she said suddenly. Her face in sudden realization.

"Umm, the 11th. Why?" he said confused as she got up, the duvet still securely around her body as she collected her clothes from the ground.

"Dios mio. I have to get going." Eva said as she rushed into the bathroom and left only minutes later fully dressed.

"Eva, wait." he said following her down the hallway.

"Bye, Chris." she said stopping at the door. She reached in her pocket and put a ring before leaving him with one more look.

"Eva! You forgot your sweater." he said, but she had closed the door, leaving Chris standing in the hall with boxers and her blue sweater in his hands.

A little less than two hours later Chris strolled into the locker room with Eva's sweater tucked into his book bag. He had a big smile that morning and felt amazing.

He noticed that Eva wasn't there yet. They usually arrived at the same time. Serena was settled on the couch trying to get Proctor to play a game on her phone and Tuck was at the nurses station talking to the gossip troll.

"Has anyone seen Eva?" he asked.

"I don't know? Shouldn't we be asking you where she is. We all heard the rumour that you guys left together." Serena said putting her phone in her pocket and standing up. She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a look.

"I don't know what you're talking about." he said looking like a 5 year old who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

He opened his locker and took his clothes into the bathroom. He changed into his scrubs and flopped down onto the couch with a bagel in his hand.

"We have an incoming in 10 minutes. Car pile up." Tuck said walking into the locker room and grabbing a bottle of water.

"Dr. Zambrano hasn't made it here, yet." Proctor said drinking his cup of herbal tea.

"I guess we'll have to manage without her." Serena said as she put her lanyard around her neck and grabbed her stethoscope.

"Call down to the blood bank and make sure we're stocked up on 0 neg. Call down to ER and ask if they can control the back flow." Proctor said as the all got up. Their pagers began to beep.

"4 minutes out." Tuck called out as he left the room.

Chris and Serena waited at the van pulled up and the doors opened.

"Female. 30 years old. Massive lacerations on the abdomen. Head trauma. She's conscious, but a bit loopy."

"Does she have a name?" Chris asked as he walked forward.

"Not sure. Couldn't find her ID in the wreckage." the paramedic said giving Chris the chart.

"Oh my god!" Serena said dropping her stethoscope on the ground. Her eyes were dead in shock.

"Serena? What…" Chris began to say, but stopped mid sentence.

They both started in shock before jumping into action.

"Check her BP. Come on, Eva. Be strong." Chris said, his voice cracking. They pulled her into a room and lifted her off of the gurney and onto the table.

Eva tried to take her mask off. The ring on her finger shining under the lamp.

"Eva, please keep the mask on." Chris said trying to get her to calm down, but she kept on trying to pull it off. Eventually they let her take it off for a few seconds. A tear dripped down her cheek.

"Te quiero pase lo que pase." Eva said, repeating the words even as the mask was placed back over her mouth. Serena tried not to cry, but her face was becoming red.

They cut her shirt open and stared at the large gash across her stomach.

Proctor helped to try to stabilize her, but her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Chris' hands began to shake as Eva began to flat line.

They couldn't change her fate.

* * *

A/N

I'm so sorry for being horrible at posting. I just haven't been feeling really creative and I went on a week long trip with friends and couldn't get myself to write between trips to the beach, hot tub night, campfires and etc. I was a very fun and much needed trip.

You are all amazing so here is chapter 2 as well!


	4. Chapter 3

"Te quiero pase lo que pase." Chris whispered to himself.

After they had lost her, they were all forced to continue working until all patients were dealt with. Everyone tried to keep it together, but it was midnight and all Chris could do was stare into her locker. She kept it neat, so there wasn't much in it. Just a few changes of clothes and hygiene products.

He stared at the little figurine he found in the back of the shelf. It was a cupcake keychain with huge eyes and a smile. They were carpooling home from work one day and noticed a festival. He had managed to get her to stop and they spent all night on rides. She managed to get him a small stuffed dog at the ring toss.

They laughed all night and stopped at a general store for candy and soda. He went to a coin machine and payed a quarter for the cupcake. She laughed it off, but he never knew that she had kept it.

Chris felt the tears sting in his eyes. He grabbed his bag and put the small toy in the pocket stopping as he noticed the blue sweater. A sob escaped his mouth as he had trouble breathing. His heart began beating erratically as he pulled out the sweater and held it to his chest.

"What's that?" Serena said sniffling at the doorway.

"It's… Umm… Her sweater." he said his breathing calming down.

"She left it at my house… This morning." he said the tears trailing down his red face.

"So, its true then. The rumour?" Serena asked walking over and sitting on the bench next to him.

"Yah, i guess." he said laughing through the wet tears.

"Te quiero pase lo que pase." he whispered again.

"What's that mean?" Serena asked, "I heard Eva say it, but I don't know what it meant." Chris laughed again.

"It means 'I love you no matter what happens.' After 3 years of knowing each other she had to say it on her damn deathbed." he said choking on his sobs. Serena began to rub his back, trying to comfort her. He put her sweater down onto his lap and noticed a small jingle noise. He reached into the pocket and found her house keys. He smiled to himself.

"Umm, could you do me a favour?" Chris asked Serena.

"Sure, anything." she asked.

"Could you come with me to her house? I thought that maybe we could have sort through her stuff." He asked finally making eye contact with his younger colleague.

"Definitely." she said as she stood up and helped him up as well. "We should both go home. Proctor said we could have the weekend off."

Chris placed his bike in the back seat of Serena's car awkwardly and she drove him home. He spent the night in tears taking sips from the scotch bottle under his sink. He hadn't made his bed since the morning and stared at it through the open bedroom door down the hallway as he sat on the floor.

"Damn it, Eva. What happened?" he said to himself.

The next morning Chris got up and took a long shower. He skipped breakfast knowing that the thought of what had happened the previous day would make him feel sick.

He dressed in a simple white t-shirt and jeans. Sitting at his dining room table he took out his phone.

 _Hey, you've reached Eva Zambrano. I can't pick up the phone right now, so please leave a message or call back in a few hours. Thank you. Beep._

He sighed knowing that this is what was left of her voice. He loved it every time she incorporated Spanish into her sentences. He didn't tell her that he tried to learn Spanish just so that he could understand her jokes.

A car horn beeped outside as he walked out to greet Serena.

"I thought that maybe we should just get this over with." she bit her lip as he got into her car and drove to Eva's house.

Her house was fairly large and elegant. She had a certain style that made her seem royal, but she still managed to grab a beer with the guys.

They parked in her driveway and Chris unlocked her front door. Serena gasped slightly as Chris fell to his knees at the door.

"She had everything packed up? Was she leaving?" Serena asked in disbelief. The card board boxes were stacked up neatly in the front foyer.

"What the hell Eva?" Chris yelled into the empty house. He just felt extremely angry for the fact that he was here and she was lying in some metal cooler.

"You can't just leave us with no answers!" he yelled again. Serena covered her mouth as she tried to stifle her sobs. She walked in and began to examine the house. After a few minutes Chris got up off the floor too and began looking around. Everything was packed.

Two years later Regina sat by her window in her old mansion on 108 Mifflin Street, Storybrooke. She had saved the universe from imploding, but she didn't care. The true curse was knowing. She couldn't forget a single memory and she didn't want to, but it eventually became too hard to live alone. She heard crying as she walked away from the window and picked up little Henry from his crib.

"Shhh, my little prince. It's alright." She said soothingly as she rocked him back and forth.

Regina had wanted a little baby and Rumple had complied. He managed to find a baby boy in need of a permanent home and drove to Boston to pick him up. It had been hard at first, but Regina made a potion to forget her worries. In the process she forgot the second life she had lived.

For years they were happy, but he found out he was adopted and didn't take it lightly. He had received the Storybook from his teacher, Ms. Blanchard, and insisted on the truth hidden within the pages.

The next morning Regina woke up and made Henry breakfast. He was being distant, but she just thought that he was still mad at her. She had to work later than usual and trusted him to walk home alone from the bus stop, but when she got home Henry was missing from his bedroom. Her motherly instinct took over and she assumed the worst.

"He's probably lying in some ditch half dead." She yelled at Graham.

"Don't worry. At least he went to school today. We know that he isn't as far as he could be. We'll find him. I promise." Graham said trying to reassure the frantic mayor. They had driven all over Storybrooke looking for the young boy, but no one had seen him.

The clock struck midnight as Graham suggested he go to the station to check if anyone called. Regina agreed as she led him to the door and opened it.

Henry had hoped on the first bus out of the small town just as the bell rung to signal the end of school. He had stolen Ms. Blanchard's credit card and bought tickets to Boston. He arrived at the apartment complex and knocked lightly at the door. He was slightly deterred as a man opened the door.

"Do you know where Emma Swan is?" he asked looking up at the man.

"Sorry kid. You got the wrong house, but I do know where Emma Swan lives." He said.

"Can you take me there?" he asked eagerly.

"Where's your parents? Shouldn't they be with you?" He asked the young boy.

"How about I ask the questions." he replied knowing that he shouldn't have even left home. The man just sighed.

"Okay, but at least tell me your name." he asked as he grabbed a sweater and locked his door behind him.

"I'm Henry." he said giving the man his hand to shake. The man took it hesitantly.

"Well Henry, I'm Chris. And you probably shouldn't be talking to strangers." He as they walked down the hall past four similar doors. Chris stopped and gestured to the green door and allowed Henry to knock for himself as he stood off the the side.

A blond women in a tight pink dress opened the door.

"Are you Emma Swan?" he asked.

"Umm, yah." Emma said looking at Chris who just shrugged.

"I'm Henry. I'm your son." he said bluntly. Emma stood in shock and tried to deny it, but she knew it was true.

She let both of the boys into her apartment as Henry talked.

"We need to get you home, kid." she said as she left the room to change into a more comfortable outfit.

"I don't want to go home. My life there sucks." he whined, but Emma wasn't taking no for an answer.

Emma's car was in the shop, so Chris offered to drive them both in his car. He insisted and soon enough they all sat in the car asking Henry where he lived.

"Storybrooke, Maine." he said hugging a large book to his chest.

"Storybrooke?" Emma said laughing.

"Yah, I've heard about it." Chris said as Emma and Henry both looked at him with strange expressions.

"You have?" Henry asked. Chris just nodded as he started his car and Henry began to rant about fairytale characters living in the real world.

Henry fell asleep about 30 minutes into the ride. For hours the car was silent as Chris thought about Storybrooke Maine. He couldn't believe he had even remembered that conversation from years ago.

Eva was leaving to visit some friends in Maine. He remembered teasing her about the name of the town the whole car ride to his house. Maybe he could meet Eva's friends. They probably already knew about what had happened.

He continued to drive the empty road until a town came into view. Emma looked up from her phone at the quaint village feel to it.

"Hey kid. What's your address?" Chris asked as Henry groggily named his street. He pulled up to the front of an expensive white mansion.

"Damn kid. You've been holding out." Emma said with her eyes wide.

They got out of the car as the front door began to open.

"Henry?" a voice called out in the night as a brunette woman ran up and hugged the young boy with Emma standing awkwardly next to him. Henry squirmed out of her grasp.

"I'm sorry, but I had to. I had to find my real mom." he said sadly as he ran into the house bypassing Graham at the doorway.

"Your his birth mother?" Regina asked with pain in her voice. Emma nodded as she looked towards the car and saw the man leaning against the door.

"And you are?" she asked. He stepped forward as his breath hitched at the sight of her. He knew it was impossible, but she looked exactly as she did twelve years ago.

"Uhh, I'm Chris Deleo and this is Emma Swan. I'm her neighbour." he managed to get out.

"Yah, he drove us here from Boston." Emma said finally finding her voice in the awkward situation.

"Boston? I see. Would you both like a drink. I'm sure that long drive has made you thirsty." Regina asked as she put on her mayoral stance.

They all walked in and sat in a small sitting room with shelves full of books. Regina handed everyone a cup of cider.

"You are Henry's adoptive mother?" Emma asked noticing how the woman looked barely older than her.

"Yes. I adopted him from infancy. Being the mayor has had its share of bad days, but Henry has brought back some light into my life. He recently found out that he was adopted and lashed out at me. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience that he may have caused." she explained looking at Chris for the last sentence.

"It was really nothing." he said, "Henry's a good kid."

"Yes, he is… What do you two do for a living?" she asked holding her drink with both hands like Eva used to.

"I'm a bail bonds woman." Emma said awkwardly, "And Chris is a trauma surgeon."

"Well, I used to be a trauma surgeon. I gave that up a few years ago. I'm just the doctor that hospitals call when they are low on staff." he said modestly. Chris looked at Regina's intrigued eyes.

"That is quite impressive nonetheless." she said sending him a close lipped smile.

"I'm sorry, but I don't feel comfortable with you two driving this late at night. There is an Inn located behind Granny's Diner. I'm sure she can spare a room." Regina said standing up from her seat.

Graham walked into the room and faced Regina, talking quietly.

"The boy has gone to bed now. I'll be on my way." he said placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Chris felt the jealously bubble within him, but he contained it. Graham held Regina's hand in his.

"Thank you Graham." Regina said sweetly as he walked away and let her hand go.

"We should probably go." Emma said getting up followed by Chris.

"Okay. Thank you for bringing him back. I'll call Granny's and tell her to open up two rooms." she said grabbing her landline and dialling the number as she escorted them out.

They waved goodbye to Regina as they walked down the long path.

"Do you know which way is Granny's?" Chris asked getting into his car.

"I saw it on main street. Just head right." Emma said as Chris put his keys into the ignition. The smiling cupcake staring at him from his keychain.

* * *

A/N

Hey! I know, it's been a while. I'm not sure when I last posted, but I went on a week long trip to Wasaga Beach with just my friends. I was planning on writing there, but I never got a chance. When I came home I just couldn't write for some reason so I'm very sorry. I know that's not a good excuse, but I plan on finishing both my fanfics.

Thank you everyone who has stuck with me!


	5. Chapter 4

Regina woke up with a startle the next morning. She rose from her bed quickly and rushed down the hall to Henry's room. She opened the door and found herself sigh in relief that he was safely in bed.

Regina rested her head against the door frame and closed her eye. She recalled the dream she just had. It was more of a nightmare. Henry has chosen to run away with Emma Swan and got in a terrible car accident. He was badly injured as he called out for her on the side of the rode, but Regina couldn't move. If felt like someone was holding her body back and she couldn't save him. She was forced to watch her son call out for her and eventually die.

"Mum? Are you okay?" she heard a voice say as she opened her eyes. Henry turned in his bed to face her.

"Uhh, yah. Just got lost in my thoughts, i guess." she said walking over to Henry and sitting on the side of his bed. Henry sat up and brushed his hand across her cheek.

"Why are you crying?" he asked with a worried expression. Regina just shook her head and noticed that it was 8:17. The clock had started. She just ignored that fact and pushed it down into the back of her mind.

"I should start breakfast." Regina said changing the subject. She stood up from the bed and fixed her tousled bed hair. She leaned down and kissed his forehead tenderly before walking away. She moved to her bedroom, put on make up and quickly changed into a blue dress with black heels.

"Come down when your ready!" she called as she descended the stairs to the kitchen.

Regina got busy in the kitchen making all of Henry's favourites including bacon, scrambled eggs, and apple pancakes.

She heard a knock at the front door and lifted the last pancake off of the pan and turned off the stove before answering it. Her heels clacked against the marble staircase as she walked down the steps and unlocked the door.

"Morning, Dr. Deleo." she said as the man smiled at her. He looked her up and down looking at her perfect figure in the tight dress.

"Did you need something?" Regina asked trying to conceal her smirk.

"Oh umm. Henry left this in my car yesterday. I thought that he might want it back." Chris said as he handed her the leather-bound storybook. "Oh and please call me Chris."

"Thank you very much. You didn't need to bring it by this early in the morning." She said politely.

"It was my pleasure, Madam Mayor." he said turning to leave.

"Chris. You can just call me Regina." she said as he turned back around. Regina waved to him as he got in his car and drove off.

"Who was that?" Henry asked coming down the staircase. Regina closed the door and handed him his book.

"You forgot this in Chris' car." Regina said lightly pushing his bangs away from his forehead. She needed to make a reminder for Henry to get a haircut.

Henry hugged the book as he jumped the last two steps and followed Regina into the kitchen. She began to put the dirty bowls in the sink as Henry sat down on the island.

"Mom." He said solemnly. Regina turned and saw his expression.

"Henry, what's wrong?" She asked moving to sit next to him. He stared at the plate that was already loaded with tons of food.

"It's just that… I'm sorry for making you worry about me. I just had to meet her. I just wanted to break the curse." Henry whispered.

"It's okay honey." Regina said as a pang of guilt hit her.

What was she doing to her son? He could have gotten hurt because of this stupid curse that she was trapped in as well as everybody in the town.

"I understand why you did it, but please don't go running off." She said before pushing his plate closer to him.

"Now eat. You must be starving." she said as Henry's stomach grumbled.

They sat in silence as they both ate. When Regina finished she stood up and put her dirty dishes in the sink followed by Henry.

"Mom, do you think we could go to the stables today? I thought that maybe I could learn how to ride. I saw some old trophies in the basement and maybe you could teach me." he asked timidly.

Regina turned towards him in surprise.

"Uhh, yah sure. I have some paperwork to finish, but we could go in an hour or two." she said placing the clean dishes onto the drying rack.

She dried her hands and walked to Henry. Placing both hands to cradle his face, she kissed his forehead and left towards her home office. Henry gave a small smile and grabbed his storybook before running to his room.

A little over an hour later Regina finished up the last of the forms and called Henry. He excitedly changed into proper clothes and Regina traded her usual business suit for a pair of riding pants and white t-shirt. Henry gasped as he walked downstairs and watched his adoptive mother put on black riding boots.

"Don't worry. We can get you better riding attire once you get comfortable with a horse." Regina said with a soft smile.

They got into her Mercedes and drove down to the stables. Henry got out of the car first and ran into the stables with Regina following close behind.

Regina opened the door to the office and leaned her head in. She greeted the stable hand and continued to follow Henry.

"Which on can I ride?" he said excitedly as she placed her hands on his shoulders. She laughed and led him to the third stall.

"This is Cinnamon." she said petting a large brown and white mare.

"How do I get on?" he asked confused as Regina started to giggle to herself.

"You can't just hop on, dear. First you have to get to know her. Let her know that she can trust you and that you can trust her." Regina said grabbing Henry's hand and placing it on her soft fur.

"How do I do that?" he continued to ask.

"Well, you have to take care of her. She is your responsibility now. You have clean her stall and feed her and make sure that she is healthy." She said simply.

"But mom!" Henry said beginning to whine.

"Riding horses isn't just about having fun, Henry. You should make a connection. Do you understand?" she said pulling up a stool and handing Henry a brush.

"Yes. I have to be responsible for her before I can actually ride her." he said taking the brush and gently gliding it through the mares fur.

"Good. I can drive you to the stables everyday after school if you want. You'll have to muck out her stall and I can help, but ultimately she is yours now. Are you sure you want this?" Regina asked stroking Cinnamon's snout.

"Yah, I think I am old enough to do this, but you'll still help right." He asked.

"Of course." Regina said as her phone rang. She looked at Henry who gave her a nod, saying that she could go and handle whatever was wrong with the town.

"Regina Mills." she said into the receiver of her cell.

"Regina can you come down to city hall? Some residents want you to sign something urgent. I'm not sure what it is, but they did seem to cause quite the ruckus." Graham said. There was yelling in the background and he inwardly swore.

"It's my day off. I'm at the stales with Henry." she said bluntly.

"It will only take a few moments." He said and she could hear his tired sigh.

"Okay, but I will not stay for long." She said. He seemed relieved and thanked her profusely as she hung up.

Regina walked back to the stall and smiled at Henry whispering to his horse.

"Hey Henry. There's a problem at city hall, do you mind staying here alone for a few moments? I'll be right back." She promised him.

"Yah, you can go." He said followed with a close lipped smile.

"The stable hand is in his office. His name is Richard. You can ask him anything." she said.

Regina kissed his cheek before walking out towards her car. She passed the stables office and waved a hand at the young man.

She got into her car and drove down to city hall. She was greeted by Graham who opened her door for her and helped her out.

"What's going on?" She said as he led her into the building and was met with a mess of people talking over each other.

"Ahem." She said loudly, instantly taking control of the room. People stared surprisingly at their mayor wearing such casual clothes.

"Why don't we all head to my office?" she said before leading them up the staircase and into her office. She sat at her desk and took out some paper as she listened to the obviously distraught citizens.

After only 15 minutes Regina had the whole situation under control and soon enough everyone was content on the resolution. They all filed out of her office as she finished filling out a form.

"Well aren't you busy." she heard a voice say.

Regina looked up and smiled at Chris who was leaning against the doorway.

"Just the average life of being mayor. Not to seem rude, but why are you here?" she asked as she stood up from her chair with a handful of papers.

"I was in the neighbourhood. I don't know… My legs just sort of took me here." he said laughing to himself. She too found herself smiling and having to conceal a childish giggle.

"I'm just on my way to the records room. You may accompany me down." Regina said locking a drawer on her desk and walking over the the doorway.

Chris gestured for her to walk infront as he closed the door behind her.

"How have liked our quaint little town." She asked.

"It's a lot different from the city. Not as noisy and the people aren't so bad either. Quite beautiful really. Like an escape from what I've been through." He couldn't help, but stare at the side of her face as she smiled. She looked like the carbon copy of Eva. He knew that he shouldn't keep thinking about her. She was long gone and this woman was not her.

"Well I'm glad that it has made a good impression. Many find it lacking in adventure." She said simply as they reached the door to the records room. She took out a key from her pocket and unlocked it.

"Do you smell that?" Chris said crinkling his noise. He couldn't place the smell, but he thought hard. It had been one of his patients at Miami Medical. He smelled of gas from a store explosion. Chris' eyes widened as he grabbed Regina's waist and pulled her down to the ground landing hard on the floor.

"Eva!" left his throat as the wall caved in on them. The explosion was loud as they walls began to collapse trapping them in the records room.

Regina felt the breath leave her lungs as she chocked on smoke. She banged her head against a table and winced as her hand touched the wound. A flash of memory came into her mind, but left quickly.


End file.
